


Oaxaca

by timeiscontagious



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: post 7x11
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:59:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9088054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeiscontagious/pseuds/timeiscontagious
Summary: Three years later, he'll receive a postcard from Oaxaca.





	

Mickey will spend the first night in Ciudad Juarez.

He’ll shower in a hostel, the cold water running down his too dry skin and leaving goosebumps along the way. At night, he’ll listen to his bunkmate snore and will pretend to be stronger than he is.

P.S. He’s not that strong.

* * *

 

The drive to Chihuahua will be rife with trouble.

He’ll get stopped three times by men holding AKs and asking for a “small fee” so that he can drive through safely. He’ll hand them money from Ian’s savings, counting through the bills as though they were sentimental possessions. After each transaction as he drives away without looking at his rearview mirror, he’ll wonder what Ian would have bought with that money.

A pair of Nikes? A water heater? A one bedroom apartment for two?

The last possibility will make him grip the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles will whiten.

He’ll be glad he took the money.

* * *

 

Mickey will stay at a shitty motel in Durango.

It’ll be one of those motels that pretends to be nicer than it is. He won’t be able to overlook the stained towels, though, or the roach that will crawl down the side of the bathroom door. He’ll use the motel stationary to write a letter. When he mails it in the morning, he’ll feel heavier than he should.

A few thousand miles away, Ian will open an envelope with no return address.

_Remember when we destroyed each other and said it was love?_

He’ll keep the letter and will read it whenever he feels like torturing himself.

* * *

 

Mickey will meet a man in Zacatecas.

Horacio will be everything that Ian isn’t. He’ll be shy and unsure of himself, only looking Mickey in the eye once he finishes speaking. The desire to please and to be adored will be written on his face, and Mickey will have one hell of a time trying to ignore it.

Mickey will fuck him for months. They’ll go to the coast together; they’ll swim in the ocean, and Horacio will sketch him while he naps in the nude.

While driving through Mazapil, Horacio will tell Mickey he loves him. Mickey will say it back, not because he does, but because that statement is just words. A string of words that have no meaning. A rat’s nest of sentimentality.

He’ll say it back, and Horacio will laugh and kiss him fully on the mouth.

When Mickey finally leaves, he’ll wipe his mouth and start again.

* * *

 

After three years, Ian will receive a postcard from Oaxaca.

Nothing will be written on it except his name and address, and he’ll contemplate throwing it out just to hide it from whomever he’s dating or fucking but will decide against it. Instead, he’ll fold it and place it gently into his wallet.

Later, he’ll imagine meeting Mickey again after all these years.

He’ll picture them sitting at a table in some dark local bar that Mickey goes to on the daily. He’ll stare at him, noting the crow’s feet and frown lines, the dark circles under his eyes. But he’ll look good.

He’ll always look good.

And Ian will reach his hand across the table despite knowing that Mickey will ignore it. They’ll drink and barely talk, and he’ll have to work hard to break through Mickey’s fucking pride, but he’ll do it.

He’s done it before.

When Mickey gets up to leave, Ian will follow him home; will follow him up the rickety stairs to his apartment and will never leave.

He’ll stay this time.

He’ll choose to stay.


End file.
